Many approved credit counseling agencies provide counseling services in languages other than English. For a list of agencies and the languages that they offer, select the language from the drop down list below and click "Go". If you are looking for a language that is not found on the drop down list, please contact the Credit Counseling Unit at the Executive Office for U.S. Trustees at ust.cc.help@usdoj.gov.
I have a rental duplex and it is underwater, owe about 85,000 worth about half that much. At 65 I am thinking about walking away because it is getting too costly to maintain. Detroit is in crisis and I don’t feel safe going there for rents. I spoke to my mortgage company and they stated they couldn’t help me under the President new laws for rental property. I am concern about my credit if I walk away, even at my age. When you are not rich you need good credit.

Student loans:The federal government and private lenders issue loans to cover education costs. Federal student loans generally have a low interest rate and important borrower protections. Working in a qualifying public-service job entitles you to loan forgiveness after 120 on-time payments. Income-based payment plans also cap payments and allow a portion of your loan to be forgiven. While private student loans don't come with all these protections, rates may still be relatively low. And if your income is below $80,000 as a single or $165,000 if married filing jointly, you can deduct up to $2,500 in student loan interest from your taxes. Because of these perks, you may not want to pay off student debt early.

The right debt relief solution will help you reach zero without creating additional risk or damaging your credit. When it comes to bad ways to seek debt relief, there may be some circumstances where using one of these solutions would be the best option. However, you should exhaust every other option first and only use the bad ways as a last resort to avoid bankruptcy.

Consider debt consolidation. A debt consolidation loan allows you to compile multiple high-interest debts, like credit card balances, into a single lower-interest debt. While debt consolidation can't lower the principal of what you owe, it can reduce the total amount of interest you'll pay over the life of the debt. Reducing interest expenses may make it easier for you to put more money toward paying down the principal of the debt.

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Many people fail to recognize that there are many instances where you can negotiate and in turn, lower your debt. Take medical bills, for example. “It can really help to negotiate with the medical provider,” said McClanahan. “If you’re willing to pay them real money over time, you can end up paying pennies on the dollar of what you own,” she said. In addition to negotiating, McClanahan suggested asking hospitals or health centers whether they have any financial assistance programs that you might qualify for.
While National Debt Relief claims that people who finish its debt relief program save on average 30% off their original debt, it’s important to consider the interest and fees you’ll accrue during the time you’re enrolled in the program. Furthermore, If you don’t finish the program, or if National Debt Relief is unsuccessful at negotiating the terms, you can end up stuck with a higher balance than you started off with.
In some cases, credit card companies allow you to use balance-transfer checks. Essentially, you'll be able to deposit money in your bank account and get the special promotional balance transfer rate of 0% interest for a designated time. If you take advantage of this offer, you'd still pay whatever fee the card imposes for balance transfers, if any. This approach allows you to use a balance transfer to refinance even non-credit card debt to the 0% promotional rate. Just be careful not to confuse balance-transfer checks with a cash advance, which involves having your credit card lend you cash at a very high interest rate.
You may also be able to obtain a debt consolidation loan if you have more than one student loan. Consolidating multiple student loans, which you can also apply for through StudentLoan.gov, will allow you to have a single monthly payment at a fixed interest rate that's based on the average of the interest rates on the loans you're consolidating. There's no cost to consolidate multiple federal education loans into one loan. However, you may lose certain student loan benefits, such as the ability to defer repayment.
High-interest credit card debt: Credit card debt is revolving debt; you charge as much as you want up to your credit limits and make monthly payments. The average interest rate on credit cards was close to 17% as of July 2018. Because credit card debt provides no benefit and rates are substantially higher than investments typically produce, aggressive early payoff is smart.
As you read through each item, you'll probably think "This will only save me $5 or $10 a month." If you can cut back on 10 different things and save even $100 a month, that's an extra $100 you can put towards your debt. Not all of these will apply to you and that's ok. Adopt as many as you can, even if it means making a small sacrifice. The more of these you can adopt, the more money you'll have to accomplish your goal.
To answer the question in a word, no. This company is one of a handful of U.S. debt-relief providers that has spearheaded innovative strategies to achieve freedom from the crippling impact of credit card debt. More to the point this company not only embraces an ethical model of debt-relief, it is helping to establish accredited standards for the rest of the industry. As far as debt-settlement goes I would rank this service well above most other debt-management type programs that essentially work in unison with credit card companies to recover the maximum debt. Credit counseling is debt-collection under the guide of debt-relief and play on consumer's anxieties and mistrust. There is no Rosetta Stone for the language of debt settlement, so until such time I recommend going with a pro service. From my own experience I can say that this company has a dedicated negotiations team who handles every aspect of the settlement process. In my initial consultation, I observed that they follow rather strict underwriting guidelines in approving candidate for their programs. Since this company doesn't collect it's service fee until after a settlement with a creditor has been secured and verified, they will not approve clients with too little/too much income or debts that may pose difficulty in settling (back taxes, mortgages, secured loans, child support owed). What I really like is that National Debt Relief fully discloses any risks attached to debt consolidation and does business with clients in complete transparency and reciprocity. They don't hide the fact that they are for-profit and benefit as your debt amount progressively decreases! There must be hundreds of companies and even more individuals who have branded debt relief programs or self-styled systems of paying of your credit card debt. Even if someone is asking you for $1 upfront for a CD or DVD, that is a clear sign of a scam. This company is not providing some exhaustible product but a committed service and it shows in its rankings/accreditations (BBB/AFCC)!!!
I know it’s fab to live in New York City or Los Angeles or San Francisco but if you’re going to be forever in debt and never able to retire, it’s not worth it. I know it takes money to move so you can choose from our other options; finding a cheaper place, getting a roommate, moving back in with your parents until you’ve saved enough to make a move.
Our credit was pretty good, around 700-730 but we were in a never ending circle or debt, with high interest rates we never saw an end in sight. We’ve been making payment now for about 3 months (it takes awhile for your creditors to accept a negotiated rate/payment from CareOne) and now we feel so much more comfortable. We now have thousands of dollars in savings, lots of money in our checking, and most importantly we are finally putting a dent in our debt because it dropped our interest rates so much- some to 2%.
C.B. I believe what you need is to invest in a financial coach. What you described is not uncommon. Once you find out why you are spending, possibly to fill a void or the ‘I deserve’ mindset, you can stop the unneeded spending. A good coach will also put together a plan to help you get out of debt and reach your financial goals and life goals. If a coach is not something you are willing to look into, please find an accountability partner. Someone who will not accept excuses and will keep you focused. You have the income and the drive to make things happen in your finances… that is HUGE!! Everyone needs a little help now and then. You got this!!!

ClearPoint Credit Counseling has been in business for 50 years, and their wide range of educational offerings includes “ClearPoint U,” a series of free, on-demand online courses on personal finance topics. The company has 50 branches across the U.S. and is accredited by the BBB, NFCC, and COA. Their website is polished and easy to navigate, but is a bit less transparent about fees and potential reductions in interest rates than their competitors.

Sometimes debt can just be an unintended consequence of too much holiday spending — or overspending any time of year. Many people try to get out of debt, but life slaps them in the face hard enough that they give up. But that doesn’t have to be the case. There are so many people who are getting out of debt every single day, and not only that, but they are getting out of debt in a short period of time.
Personal loans. Personal loans are another solution to refinance debt. You can take out a personal loan to repay credit card debt, medical debt, payday loans, or other types of high-interest debt. Many personal lenders do forbid you from using the proceeds of your loan to repay student debt, but otherwise you have almost endless flexibility in what you can use the borrowed money for.
Our debt counselors must complete intensive financial counseling and become certified by the NFCC. Besides being certified, many of InCharge’s credit counselors have over 10 years of experience as a financial counselor. They’ve helped people through every kind of financial downturn, from losing a loved one to catastrophic illness, to job loss. They can help you too.
If you are working with a credit counselor and think you’ll miss a payment, they can take proactive steps to mitigate consequences and create a plan to get you back on track. They can even negotiate to have additional late payments or late fees reduced or waived if you miss a payment. The key to making this work is being completely open and honest about your situation and speaking with your credit counselor as soon as you realize your payment will be late.
National Debt Relief recently refunded part of the money that was saved in my account before I terminated my agreement with the company. I found this action on their part to be quite surprising and very much appreciated. This leads me to believe that they do have the best interest of their customers at heart. I have chosen to work with another company in becoming debt free and am very thankful for the services provided to me from National Debt Relief.
Credit counseling (known in the United Kingdom as Debt counselling) is commonly a process that is used to help individual debtors with debt settlement through education, budgeting and the use of a variety of tools with the goal to reduce and ultimately eliminate debt.[1] Credit counseling is most often done by Credit counseling agencies that are empowered by contract to act on behalf of the debtor to negotiate with creditors to resolve debt that is beyond a debtor's ability to pay. Some of the agencies are non-profits that charge at no or non-fee rates, while others can be for-profit and include high fees. Regulations on credit counseling and Credit counseling agencies varies by country and sometimes within regions of the countries themselves.[1] In the United States, individuals filing Chapter 13 bankruptcy are required to receive counseling.
Learning how to get out of debt can be time-consuming, but it doesn’t have to be difficult if you do it the right way. It can take a lot of careful budget planning, self-discipline and be making conscious financial sacrifices, but the reward is more than worth it. While being able to pay off all your debts doesn’t usually happen overnight, there are efficient “get out of debt” plans and strategies to make you debt-free. Use the above effective expert tips to get out of debt fast.
Bankruptcy is a last-ditch attempt to settle debts. It is a legal proceeding through which you liquidate all assets in order to wipe out debt (Chapter 7) or persuade creditors to approve a repayment plan over a 3-to-5 year time frame to eliminate debt. There are severe consequences for both, including a drop of as much as 200 points in your credit score and the bankruptcy action remaining on your credit report for 7-to-10 years. A debt management program is not a legal proceeding. A notation that you are in a DMP could appear on your credit report, but there should be little impact on your credit score until you complete the program. At that time, you could expect your credit score to improve, sometimes dramatically.